MITCH Crowden says mental fatigue, rather than the physical grind, was his toughest challenge at the elite level but the young Fremantle midfielder is feeling refreshed and keen to win back his spot.
Crowden surprised himself by making his debut in round two against Essendon and held down a place until he was dropped after the round nine loss to Sydney at the SCG.
He averaged 13 touches and four tackles in his first five appearances before fading as the fatigue factor kicked in.
"I came in round two and played eight games and I'm over the moon with that," Crowden told AFL.com.au.
"It definitely exceeded my expectations but there's a lot to work on to try and get back there.
"Just find the ball a little bit more and get back into some form, that's the main message (from coach Ross Lyon).
"I thought physically I was going well, I was running well.
"A little bit mentally I was fatigued, but we had a good break the other week and I came back mentally ready to go again.
"Definitely that's the goal (to play AFL again in 2018). To get back there would be everything."
While the nuggety South Australian might not have the typical build of an elite runner, his ability to get from contest to contest stacked up with Fremantle's best athletes during his eight-game stint.
"It doesn't matter how you look. If you get there the kilometres start to tick up," Crowden said with a smile.
"I was averaging one of the most (kilometres per game) at the club, but I suppose I'm chasing tail all day, I suppose that's the reason."
Crowden was quiet picking up 10 disposals for Peel on a tough night against unbeaten Subiaco last Friday, but has shown signs he's finding form recently.
After five WAFL appearances, the 19-year-old is in the mix to replace Andrew Brayshaw (adductor) against Port Adelaide.
"Mitch had a very good game three weeks ago (27 disposals, 11 tackles against West Perth) when he played a bit of midfield and half-forward," Thunder coach Cam Shepherd said.
"Like any young player, you have oscillation (in form).
"His intent's great, he's just not finding it as much as he'd like at the moment."
Crowden, taken with pick 59 last year, is among six Dockers draftees to debut this season as Fremantle presses on with its rebuild.
He has already put pen to paper on a contract extension until 2021, and is confident Freo is headed in the right direction.
"I think we've definitely got a bright future ahead. We've got some good talent in (Adam) Cerra, Brayshaw, (Stefan) Giro and (Bailey) Banfield," Crowden said.
"All 10 of us (drafted last year), there's not one of us that haven't got a good relationship.
"It's a dream come true and it's living up to that."
